Bear Creek Fence Repair #1

About the place

Oregon’s high desert is home to a diversity of Indigenous people, including the Northern Paiute, Shoshone, Bannock, Wasco, Warm Springs, Yahooskin, Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla peoples organized within several Tribes. These include the Burns Paiute Tribe, Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, the Klamath Tribes, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and others.

This trip will take place along Bear Creek in Central Oregon, on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) where fences exclude cattle, and where future riparian restoration work is being planned.

About the stewardship work

This day trip is part of a collaboration with the Prineville BLM district focused on restoring riparian habitat. By repairing the fences to exclude riparian areas from the impacts of cattle crazing, we will be setting the stage for riparian restoration projects here in the coming years.  Volunteers will arrive to the worksite at 8 a.m. and travel home by 4 p.m. The work each day will involve a short hike to the project location and completing fence repair tasks such as running heavy wire spools, pulling staples and unclipping wire, splicing wires together, and stapling and clipping the new wires. No previous fence repair experience is necessary for this trip and all training, tools and materials will be provided.

While this is a single-day trip, it can be combined with the Bear Creek Fence Repair #1 trip if volunteers wish to work both days. The ONDA trip leader will be commuting from Bend each day, but several public campgrounds are nearby the worksite if volunteers wish to camp on their own.

Trip timeline: Monday September 23

• 8 a.m.: Meet at Bear Creek for an orientation about the day’s work from BLM staff.
• 8:30 a.m. – 12p.m.: Begin fence repair work along Bear Creek
• 12-12:45ish: Break for lunch as a group
• 12:45-4p.m.: Finish up fence repair tasks for the day
• 4 p.m.: Meet to debrief the day’s work and head on home

Difficulty

Level 3

The nature of fence repair work is physically demanding. Access along the fence line is only by foot and we will likely be hauling a variety of fence materials to where they are needed to conduct repairs.  Footing is often uneven and slanted.

Participant responsibilities

Participants are responsible for their own food and water, as well as transportation to and from the trip. Sturdy off-trail ankle-high boots are required for this trip, and muck boots may be recommended depending on conditions. We recommend bringing your own work gloves to provide a comfortable fit, but it is not required.

Gear provided

ONDA will provide work gloves if you don’t have a pair, all the tools and materials required for the work, safety gear and excellent guidance in the field.

Registration

An ONDA registration application and medical form are required for this trip. Check the box next to each trip you would like to attend.

Apply Now

You will receive a confirmation email within 2 weeks of submitting your form. The confirmation email will provide information regarding which trips you are on the “participant list” for, and which trips are full, and therefore you have been placed on the “wait list.”

Six weeks before the start of the trip, the trip leader will send out an RSVP to make sure everyone is still able to participate. Based on RSVPs, open spaces will be backfilled with people from the waitlist.

Three weeks before the trip start date, registered and confirmed participants will receive driving instructions, maps, and additional information in an email sent by the trip leader

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact the trip leader.